Before Dorrance Dance began on Friday, October 21, I was in the ladies room of the Power Center. There was this little girl in her polka-dot dress and tights washing her hands, as I stood in the inevitable line for the stalls. She was dressed up for the theater and held her mother’s hand as they left for their seats. Suddenly, I had a longing to be that little girl, when going to the theater still had a shine of novelty to it, and everything was wondrous because it was new.
Michelle Dorrance and her collaborators created a show where I got to be a child again; as her collaborator Nicholas Van Young wrote about “ETM: Double Down”, they created a playground “Where you can let your imagination and your feet run wild”. A show in two parts, their movements were mesmerizing. We as an audience sat stunned in our seats, afraid to clap for fear of missing some vital part of the music their feet were creating. It was tap like I’ve never seen it.
Photo Credit: Christopher Duggan
The first act was excerpts from Dorrance’s “SOUNDscape”, where the only sound was the precise tapping of their toes. One moment their legs are moving too fast to see and the next there is an exaggerated slowness to their movements where you see, rather than hear, the ensemble breathing together. While this act featured no background music, “ETM: Double Down” was a mixture of music, beats, and notes played by the tappers themselves and their collaborators. Never was there a more perfect marriage between tap and technology.
For two wonderful hours I sat enthralled; everything was novel and everything was new because I was constantly surprised about what might happen next. I was a child again- transported up there on that playground with them.
The Mark Morris Dance Group performance was certainly a new experience for me. I have never been to such a mixed arts event in the past. Walking in, before the first people came on stage, before even the lights began to dim, you are immediately aware of the art of the performance because of the backdrop of the stage. There is this brilliant painting that sets the background for the entire performance, consisting of what appears to be large brush strokes sweeping across the canvas. The entire painting consists of only 3 colors, but as the lighting changes on stage, the painting changes colors as well. This sets the mood for the performance, as the rest of the dancers come out dressed in similarly bright colors.
At the beginning of the performance, a group of 4 musicians come on stage and perform a short piece that also begins immersing the audience into the world of Layla and Majnun. The music is accompanied by English captions above the stage, translating the story being told by the two singers in the group. Immediately, from the key of the music and the poetic quotations being presented in the captions, the audience gets a feeling for the tragic nature of this story.
Then, the entire music ensemble walks on stage. As the musicians begin playing, the dancers start to walk out two at a time. All of the female dancers are dressed in these brilliant pink flowing dresses, and the men are dressed in bright blue. This choice of colors perfectly contrasted the men from the women, as well as made the aesthetic of the stage come together beautifully with the painting in the backdrop. This can be seen in the image below, taken by Susana Miller.
Photo by Susana Miller
Throughout the performance, one is entranced by the beautiful singing of Alim Qasimov and Fargana Qasimova, seated directly in the middle of the stage and surrounded by the music ensemble. They demonstrated an incredible control over their vocal range and ability to express such deep emotion in their voices. I do have to say I was biased towards focusing on the musicians more than the dancers, since my training is in music, not dance. This also meant I was new to the style of dance the Mark Morris group utilized. It was predominantly lyrical, trying to showcase the tragedy of this love story through the movements of the body. However, this also meant there was not a focus on showcasing skill, so the performance was much more centered on telling the story of Layla and Majnun rather than exhibiting the dancers.In this way, the choreography often included simple physical movements that demonstrated love and loss, repeated by each male/female pair in the dance group.
Overall, I fell in love with the beautiful colors of the stage and the voices of the singers and the talents of the musicians, but I found myself unable to stay focused on the dancers. My eyes kept drifting back to watch Alim and Fargana perform extraordinary cadenzas effortlessly. I would love to see the Mark Morris Dance Group perform in a more dance-central piece, but I was not able to experience the character and skill of the group in this performance.
If you have yet to see a show done by University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre, & Dance, I highly recommend you start by seeing this show. The seats weren’t completely full but by the laughter that filled the room, one would think it was oversold.
Cast of The Drowsy Chaperone-Press Release Photo
The show begins in the dark with a monologue from the star of the show, Man in Chair (Alexander Sherwin). He describes what it’s like waiting for a show to start and he captures it spot on. The Man in Chair puts in his favorite record, The Drowsy Chaperone, and the show comes to life onstage.
Janet Van de Graaff (Hannah Lynne Miller) and Robert Martin (Kyle McClellan)-Press Release Photo
The big opening number, Fancy Dress, drew the crowd in immediately. All of the characters are introduced and you fall in love with them right away. Mrs. Tottendale (Isabel Stein) is the sweet, confused hostess who can’t seem to remember that everyone is there for a wedding. Her spit-take with her employee, Underling (Aidan Ziegler-Hansen), is priceless. Robert Martin (Kyle McClellan), the dashing groom has a high-energy, fun tap number called “Cold Feets” with his frazzled best man George (Christopher Campbell), which was personally one of my favorite numbers! Broadway producer Feldzeig (Riley McFarland) will do anything to stop the wedding from happening so he won’t lose his leading lady Janet Van de Graaff. Kitty (Jo Ellen Pellman) is a ditzy wanna-be-star constantly trying to convince Feldzeig that she’s fit for the role of the leading lady. Gangster #1 (Joseph Sammour) and Gangster #2 (Simon Longnight) stole the show every time they were onstage! Both disguised as pastry chefs for the wedding, the gangsters were hilarious as they made pastry puns and starred in the exciting number of “Toledo Surprise”. Adolpho (Charlie Patterson) was another audience favorite. As a Latin “lover of ladies”, he was put on a mission by Feldzeig to seduce the bride, but amidst the chaos, ends up seducing the wrong lady. Bride Janet Van de Graff (Hannah Lynne Miller) can’t seem to give up the spotlight, as we see her “Show Off” in her large number, doing cartwheels, high kicks, and smiling for any camera around. Miller played a stunning leading lady. The Drowsy Chaperone (Nkeki Obi-Melekwe) killed it in her song titled “As We Stumble Along”. The chaperone is supposed to be making sure that Janet Van de Graaff doesn’t see Robert Martin on their wedding day, but always seems to be stumbling around with a drink in her hand. She hits every comedic line perfectly and wows the audience in any and every song she sings. Definitely another audience favorite. Trix (Cydney Clark), the aviatrix, also has a stunning voice as she sings “I Do, I Do in the Sky”. The Superintendent (Griffin Binnicker) makes an appearance at the end of the show. He may have few lines, but he definitely makes the most of them! And finally, you can’t forget about the ensemble (Spencer Crow, Audrey Kennedy, Carina Kay Louchiey, Christopher Washington)! Their dancing was phenomenal and they seemed to have such a fun time onstage! Whether they were news reporters, maids, or a plane, they helped make the show complete.
The Drowsy Chaperone (Nkeki Obi-Melekwe)-Press Release Photo
There were many people in the show within the show, but the Man in Chair was the true star. He deserves a huge pat on the back for this role. It must not have been easy to memorize the pages of lines, and to make sure he is continuously connecting with the audience. A job well done on Sherwin’s part.
Man in Chair (Alexander Sherwin)-Press Release Photo
The music, choreography, and acting was simply spectacular. As the Man in Chair says “Musicals take you into another world; they help you escape the dreary horrors of the real world.” And that is exactly what this show did. Whether you are an actor, a theatregoer, or someone who has never seen a show, I promise that you will form some sort of connection with this musical. I highly recommend seeing this once, if not more.
Tickets are on sale online at http://tickets.music.umich.edu/single/eventDetail.aspx?p=2923, or you can get them at the door. $12 for students with a valid ID and $22-$28 for others. The show runs October 13-16 and October 20-23. Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm, and Sundays at 2pm.
Layla and Majnun is an “opera” based on a Persian poem about lovers who will never be allowed to unite. Alim Qasinov and Fargana Qasimova, singers from Azerbaijan, will be showcasing their majestic voices accompanied by the Silk Road Ensemble and Mark Morris Dance Group as they tell this emotional story.
Just looking at the photos and sneak-peek videos make me happy. There are so many colors, emotions, movements, and art.
Photo by Susana Miller
Layla and Majnun, to me, seems like the epitome of performing arts: a skillful combination of poetry, dances, fashion design, visual art, and of course, music — both improvised and composed. And that’s what excites me about it. Collaboration among different art forms is something that I’m striving to achieve in my final year of undergraduate degrees, and I can’t think of a better example than Layla and Majnun.
The show will be on Thursday October 13 at 7:30pm, and Friday & Saturday October 14 & 15 at 8pm. Tickets are running out, so get yours ASAP from the Michigan League Ticket Office or ums.org/students.
One of the many wonderful things about new technology is that it can lead to entirely new genres of art. Performance animation is one of those genres.
First, we were introduced to two blank screens. Then, a flash of light and color as animated landscapes splashed across the screens. A silhouette stepped into view, and we watched it interact with the buildings and plants and animals that appeared. At times the message was a clear narrative, while at others it was more of a series of dreams transposed on top of one another. If that makes the show sound trippy in any way, then good, because it absolutely was trippy.
Miwa Matreyek is a multi-talented artist currently on tour performing the two pieces that formed this week’s Penny Stamps event. “This World Made Itself” seemed to be more of a love story, although love was by no means the only theme. The juxtaposition of her gigantic form with a city skyline, and her interaction with a tiny animated figure, had strong allusions to King Kong.
Her second piece, “Myth + Infrastructure,” dealt with the biggest themes possible: the birth and death of the world, modernization, death, life, and the interaction of mankind with the natural world.
Time and again we watched Miwa swirl through bodies of water, capture and free flying insects, blend in and become one with the Earth.
Several times it was like a magic show. The audience and I reacted with awe when Miwa sprouted wings out of thin air and her arm melted away into a swarm of white petals. “How did she do that?!” the people next to me exclaimed as they recorded the performance for their Snapchat stories. I wondered the same thing as I too recorded a clip for my story.
Shows like this are rare opportunities, and I strongly encourage you to see the show in Ypsilanti on Friday, October 7 if you can.
You can get a small taste of the performance in this TED video here.
What: The Penny Stamps Speaker Series Presents Miwa Matreyek’s Dreaming With Your Shadow, a piece that blends animation with a live stage performance. If the image above doesn’t convince you, I don’t know what will.
When: October 6th at 5:10 PM
Where: Michigan Theater
Price: FREE. This is one of the many wonderful opportunities you can and should take advantage of at U of M!
Michelle Dorrance and her collaborators created a show where I got to be a child again; as her collaborator Nicholas Van Young wrote about “ETM: Double Down”, they created a playground “Where you can let your imagination and your feet run wild”. A show in two parts, their movements were mesmerizing. We as an audience sat stunned in our seats, afraid to clap for fear of missing some vital part of the music their feet were creating. It was tap like I’ve never seen it.
